White Painted Woman (Changing Woman)
White Painted Woman (also known as Changing Woman) is a central deity in Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache tradition. She appeared after a great flood that destroyed a malevolent world. She conceived Child of the Water (Killer-of-Enemies) from the rays of the Sun. White Painted Woman is identified with the Moon and Thunder. The Girls' Puberty Ceremony reenacts her first menstruation, when she received her power from the Sun. The ceremony lasts four days, blessing young women with health, fertility